A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 5140898 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 17692758 epoch_slot_no: 239958 block_no: 5140721 slot_leader_id: 4555843 size: 1560 time: 2020-12-29 16:24:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0974a3fbea09d736a076813cd74e7a40a1ceecce0d1cccf0e512859698380bb5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m30knv6sdact0jva87yqstj64dl4udz07zksjr4zd8s77sza6f3qfxsn07 op_cert: \xa4b3a91c407fdf371076e0e790274dd8dfe48e585da9a1bf4671ef7615fe84ef op_cert_counter: 1